With the spread of personal computers, printers such as ink jet printers have rapidly spread. Further, with the spread of photo scanners, photo CDs and digital cameras, the demand for printing system for printing digitized photographic image has been rapidly growing. In particular, the spread of simple inexpensive ink jet printers is remarkable. For these ink jet printers, the demand for better image quality has been growing year by year.
As a recording medium for use in ink jet recording system, there has heretofore been used an ordinary paper or a recording medium comprising an ink-receptive layer provided on a support which is called ink jet recording paper. However, an ink can easily run on such a recording medium. Further, such a recording medium exhibits a low gloss. Thus, such a recording medium cannot be put into practical use in the field of photographic image where a high resolution and gloss are required.
As an approach for solving these problems, a technique for ink jet recording medium using a paper coated with a resin on both sides thereof (i.e., so-called RC (resin-coated) paper) as a support and using gelatin as an ink-receptive layer is disclosed in JP-A-4-216990 and JP-A-6-64306 (The term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application").
As an approach for bringing the appearance and touch of an image output from ink jet printers close to that of conventional photographic image, a recording medium comprising a synthetic hydrophilic resin in an ink-receptive layer and an ink jet recording method using the same are disclosed in JP-A-7-179032.
As an approach for improving the quality and stability of an image output from ink jet printers, a method involving the use of an image recording medium comprising an ink-receptive layer containing gelatin and a basic latex provided on a resin-coated support is disclosed in JP-A-8-244336.
It is certain that the foregoing proposals can give an image having a gloss closer to that of photographic image than with the conventional ink jet recording paper. However, the recording media proposed dry an ink at a low rate. Thus, an image formed on these recording media was not satisfactory in respect to resolution or graininess. For example, the image formed on these recording media shows stain or beading (granular density unevenness) that deteriorates image quality. In particular, a picture having a relatively small area printed on these recording media using a high speed printer shows a deteriorated image quality. Further, when these recording media are used for a printer of the type involving the jetting of a plurality of ink droplets having a low concentration for better image quality, the image thus formed is blurred. Moreover, the image thus formed can be transferred to other papers or objects which are superimposed thereon.
For the purpose of solving these problems, many recording media which can dry an ink at a high rate have been disclosed. For example, JP-A-8-230309 and JP-A-6-183134 disclose a recording medium comprising a silica pigment. For example, JP-A-3-281383, JP-A-4-267180 and JP-A-5-24335 disclose a recording medium comprising an alumina pigment. These recording media comprise a porous recording layer which can fairly absorb an ink and hence dry at a raised rate. However, these recording media are disadvantageous in that since it is arranged to absorb an ink by an inorganic pigment such as silica pigment and alumina pigment, it exhibits a drastically deteriorated light-fastness. It has thus been keenly desired to provide a recording medium which can dry an ink at a high rate, gives an excellent image quality and exhibits an excellent light-fastness.